Brewing the perfect pot of tea

Choose a good teapot — clay, porcelain, or silver. Fill pot with hot water to warm it, and then discard the water.

Start with great-tasting cold water, such as spring or filtered. Do not over-boil — this depletes the oxygen and tea will taste flat.

Add 1 heaping teaspoon of loose tea per 6-ounce cup. For stronger tea add 1 extra teaspoon for the pot. Brewing teas loose rather than in a tea ball or, heaven forbid, a bag, allows the leaves to open fully and release their flavor.

For black tea, as soon as water comes to rolling boil, turn off heat, wait 10 seconds, and then pour into the teapot. Stir the tea; cover and let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes. When brewing red, white or green teas or fresh mint tea water should be well below boiling. Steep for 5 to 8 minutes

Until you are familiar with a particular tea, after a few minutes take a sip. Pay attention to taste rather than color. When you like the flavor place a fine strainer over a cup and pour your tea through it. You should have a perfect cup of tea.

The tea sandwich

Hints from Colin Cowrie, party planner extraordinaire and author of “Effortless Entertaining with Colin Cowie”:

•Tea sandwiches are diminutive and delicate. It takes only one or two bites to finish one, so each piece must be flavorful and distinctive.

•The bread should be very thin. You can ask your bakery to remove the crust and cut it horizontally instead of vertically or buy a loaf of unsliced bread and slice it yourself. Or you can use a rolling pin to flatten it.

•For most of the sandwiches you can use a spread made of equal parts of softened butter or margarine and cream cheese, white pepper and a dash of Tabasco.

The table

Most afternoon tea parties are not sit-down affairs; instead, guests are encouraged to mingle and graze. So, the tables should not only be gracious and inviting but carefully organized.

Amid the lovely linens and sumptuous spring flowers, create a tea area with all the accouterments, a sandwich section with accompanying napkins and plates, and a tray of desserts. There are lovely 3-tiered platters available and perfect for a tea party.

Guests pick up a lightweight plate to fill with bite-size sandwiches and sweets. Utensils are not usually offered as guests will be walking around nibbling from their petit plate of treasures and taking a sip of tea.

In my grandmother’s china closet I found kidney shaped Depression glass plates with an indentation for the tea cups. These are perfect for a garden party as everything can be placed on one plate. Since tea parties are becoming a popular way of entertaining, expect some resourceful manufacturer to bring them back. If you don’t have a set in the family or can’t find them at a nearby antique store or yard sale, select dishes, cups and glasses that are lightweight and lend themselves to being carried around. Or you can use decorative paper plates.

Dress the table with a variety of linens and laces, flowers and beautiful accouterments, your most beautiful silver, crystal and china.

It’s a lovely touch to offer sherry, port or champagne with the tea. We could also suggest a small pot of coffee, but that would be missing the point.

The tea

Tea connoisseurs describe its subtleties as they would a prized glass of wine. The well-dressed tea table offers guests several varieties of tea.

Darjeeling: considered the “champagne” of teas and described with the same reverence as a fine bottle of wine. It is considered a lighter afternoon tea, but the taste varies, depending on the time of year the leaves are harvested.

Lapsang Souchong or Tarry Souchong: a smoked tea with the heady aroma of an oak fire. Delicious alone or with milk and honey.

Lemon Verbena: a smooth, citrus-flavored herbal tea.

Moroccan Mint: made by placing the fresh leaves and branches of the plant and infusing it with hot water and a little sugar or honey.

Rooibos Tea from South Africa: ruby red, smooth and comforting. Delicious with lemon or milk and honey.

White Peony Tea: delicate, refined and filled with healthful antioxidants. White is the new Green.

Chai: a black or green tea brewed with selected spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg cloves and milk.

Buying tea: Try to find small farm teas that are hand-picked and not machine processed. Buying tea in bulk rather than in a package usually yields fresher, higher-quality tea.

Combine all ingredients. Serve in a chilled punch bowl and float some sliced lemons and oranges, sprigs of mint and fresh rose petals. This makes a refreshing summer and non-caffeinated beverage option.

From Joy Walsh, executive chef/owner, Tea-Upon-Chatsworth, San Diego

Cucumber Sandwiches

To this most classic of recipes, Joy Walsh adds edible flowers such as rose petals or nasturtiums.

Makes 8 tea sandwiches

4 ounces cream cheese or goat cheese

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and white pepper to taste

8 slices white or wheat bread

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced

1/2 cup watercress, stemmed

Mix together cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spread on four slices of bread. Top with cucumber and water cress. Cover with remaining slices. Trim crusts and cut into desired shape.

Mom’s Chai Tea

Makes 1 cup

4 cardamom pods

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves or a combination of mint and basil leaves

1 teaspoon strong black tea such as Assam

8 ounces hot water

Prepare teapot by rinsing it with hot water. Place all ingredients in pot. Add boiling water. Steep 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into cup using tea strainer. Serve with honey and milk.

From Gary Walia, general manager of Tamarind Restaurant and Tamarind Tea Room, New York

Afternoon Tea Scones

Makes 2 dozen small scones

3 3/4 cups strong flour or bread flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup cream

3/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cups Sultana raisins

About 1/2 cup milk for glazing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in butter and mix to consistency of fine bread crumbs. Gradually add cream and milk and mix until thick dough is formed. Add the Sultanas and let dough rest for 15 minutes, covered loosely with a cotton cloth.

Lightly knead dough on a floured board. Roll out to 3/4-inch thickness and cut into rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Gather, knead, rollout and cut the trimmings, too.

On a lightly greased baking tray, place the rounds about 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with a little milk to glaze.

Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Transfer to rack to cool. Serve warm with jam and clotted cream.

From Regis Beauregard, Pastry Chef at Palm Court at The Ritz Hotel, London

Brie, Walnut and Watercress Sandwiches

Makes 16 tea sandwiches

8 very thin slices white or brown bread

4 ounces ripe Brie cheese, softened, rind removed

1/4 ounce chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1/2 bunch watercress, rinsed and stems removed

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. Spread cheese on one side of four bread slices. Top with walnuts and watercress. Cover with remaining slices. Trim crusts and cut into triangles.

From “Effortless Entertaining With Colin Cowie” (HarperCollins)

Curried & Minted Chicken Tea Sandwich

Makes 32 to 40 tea sandwiches

16 to 20 slices white or brown bread, crusts removed

1/2 to 1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup chicken breast, baked and then ground

1/2 cup slivered almonds or cashews

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup mint, cut into chiffonade (thin strips)

1/4 cup chopped sweet onions

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup chopped parsley for garnish

Lightly spread butter onto half of the bread slices. Gently mix together chicken, nuts, cranberries, mint, onions, curry, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Top each bread slice with the chicken filling. Cover with remaining slices and then cut each into 4 tea sandwiches. Garnish with chopped parsley.

From Joy Walsh, executive chef/owner, Tea-Upon-Chatsworth, San Diego

A Royal Wedding is just one reason for sharing a cup of tea. The taking of tea has an intimacy and grace that a mug of coffee or even a flute of champagne can only aspire to.

With a chuckle, India native Gary Walia, details the first meeting between his sister and a hand-picked suitor. “In India, many marriages are arranged,” he says. “My sister met her future husband at an elegant tea shop. Over several sips of Chai, the prospective groom gave his would-be-bride five minutes to accept his proposal. By the time they emptied the teapot, the deal was sealed.

“My father loves to say, ‘That was a very good pot of tea.’ ”

Today, the tea aficionado is general manager of Tamarind Restaurant and Tea Room in New York and has provided the backdrop for many a consequential cup of tea.

Joy Walsh had her first cup of tea (albeit pretend) while sitting on the floor with her dolls playing “tea party.” She loved the game and, when she grew up, was thrilled to learn there was such a thing as the English tea ritual.

When the Philippines-born young woman was in London, the height of her day was taking tea from 2 to 4. She would pick her “tearoom of the day” — from the elegant, formal Ritz Hotel’s Palm Court to the quaint, charming, privately owned tearooms in the English countryside. She studied the ritual and started collecting books about it, as well as the accouterments that made the experience so special.

While she loved the traditional tea service at The Ritz, when she opened her own tearoom, Tea-Upon-Chatsworth, at the corner of Voltaire Street and Chatsworth Boulevard, Walsh wanted to embody the more casual, comfortable setting she had enjoyed in the English countryside. Although her china is fine, her tea sets are silver and her tables are dressed in linen and lace, she loves the whimsy of mismatched but elegant cups and saucers, Victorian bowls and edible flowers popping up in sandwiches and salads.

Walsh calls her tearoom a hybrid and consciously strives to adapt the 200-year-old tradition to the tastes of the 21st century.

Although she started her career catering tea parties and still devotes three days a week to private events, she believes that this gracious way of entertaining is a treat for any celebration — a graduation party, a wedding or baby shower, a housewarming, a birthday or anniversary, or just a special time with friends.

Tea sandwiches are classic, easy to prepare and tasty either served cold or at room temperature. They can be created at home or ordered from a nearby bakery. And there is a favorite type of tea for any taste bud.

When sending out invitations, remember to delete the “High,” as in High Tea, and substitute “Afternoon,” as in those long, hungry hours between lunch and dinner. Although authentic High Tea is still taken in Great Britain by hungry youngsters, theatergoers tiding themselves over until their late supper, or less affluent citizens who grab a hearty savory late in the day and forget dinner altogether, the tradition of midafternoon tea was inaugurated in the mid-19th century.

As the story goes, when Anna, Duchess of Bedford, served tea and “breadstuffs” to her friends at 4 p.m. because everyone was hungry and couldn’t wait until dinner, they enjoyed it so much that it became a national ritual.

Today, afternoon tea is so popular that the Ritz London has a 3-to-6-month waiting list, according to Executive Chef John Williams.

While Walsh delights in creating her own signature sandwiches, master chef Williams is a traditionalist for his afternoon tea menu, and the elegant sandwiches have few but very specific ingredients.

Cucumber sandwiches are a must but are served only with cream cheese and chives. Mustard cress is the star of its own sandwich, with a dollop of egg mayonnaise. The smoked salmon is always on sourdough, accented by butter, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon. His poached salmon sits on a thin smear of mayonnaise; his tuna is mixed with shallots, chives and crème fraîche mayo. Bread can range from thinly sliced white to challah, wheat or pumpernickel.

Joy Walsh’s favorite tea is Asam, taken with a brown sugar cube and milk. At her tearoom, the house blend is Asam, Ceylon and Darjeeling.

To orchestrate your own tea party, you can follow the lead of these “afternoon tea” experts. We’ve offered slight variations to some of the traditional tea sandwiches, but feel free to get creative and invent your own favorites.